Award

Carbon Offsetting 2025 - 27

NUCLEAR DECOMMISSIONING AUTHORITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

19 Mar 2026 at 10:28

Summary of the contracting process

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), based in Cumbria, United Kingdom, has completed the award stage of its procurement process for carbon offsetting services from 2025 to 2027. This contract aims to support NDA's strategic goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The procurement concluded with the selection of Forest Carbon Ltd as the supplier, leveraging a sole source justification method below the competitive threshold. The contract commenced on 18th March 2026 and is valued at £96,000, under the legal framework of UK legislation 2023/54.

This tender presents a unique opportunity for large businesses specialising in carbon offsetting projects and research and development services. Forest Carbon Ltd was the chosen supplier due to its exclusive provision of projects verified by the UK Woodland Carbon Code, ensuring high-integrity carbon removal credits that align with NDA’s environmental policy. Businesses able to deliver verified carbon removal at the scale required, particularly within geographic proximity to NDA sites, such as those in Cumbria, are well-positioned to compete for future contracts within this sector, potentially contributing to local environmental and community benefits.

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Notice Title

Carbon Offsetting 2025 - 27

Notice Description

The NDA Group is committed, through Strategy 5 and the Environmental Policy Statement, to achieving carbon net zero by 2050. This follows established good practice: emissions will be avoided and reduced first, with offsetting used only for residual emissions that cannot be eliminated. For the NDA Group, offsetting is defined strictly as the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, not emissions avoidance. This is essential to ensure credibility, avoid greenwashing, and ensure that offsets can legitimately be counted towards net zero. Nature-based solutions, such as woodland creation and peatland restoration, currently represent the most mature and credible route available to the NDA Group for carbon removal in the UK. Even with ambitious carbon reduction plans, modelling indicates that residual emissions will remain by 2050. Early investment in verified carbon removal is therefore necessary to ensure sufficient capacity is available in future and to spread cost and delivery risk over time. Due to the nature of offsetting via carbon removal the NDA is yet to offset any of its carbon emitted but we are building long-term carbon removal capacity once verified units are converted to carbon credits. The credits purchased through this sole source justification will continue to grow this long-term capacity. Current trajectories predict the NDA Group will require ~ 100,000 units by 2050. Units within this purchase (1,500) and previous purchases will equate to approximately 4500 tco2e captured. This purchase is therefore both necessary for near-term reporting and strategically important in preparing for the long-term delivery of net zero. Forest Carbon was selected through the 2020/21 pilot and remains the only supplier that meets all NDA requirements, for the following reasons: * Forest Carbon exclusively delivers projects verified under the UK Woodland Carbon Code, the recognised quality assurance standard for woodland-based carbon removal in the UK. * Woodland Carbon Code units are independently verified, high-integrity carbon removal credits, which cannot be claimed until carbon has actually been removed from the atmosphere (typically 10+ years), aligning with NDA policy and best practice. * Forest Carbon can provide credits at the scale required by the NDA Group, with projects located close to NDA sites, particularly in Cumbria, delivering additional local environmental and community benefits. * Alternative providers either do not offer verified carbon removal, do not operate under the Woodland Carbon Code, or cannot deliver projects within relevant geographic catchments. This combination of verified carbon removal, UK delivery, local benefit and scale is unique to Forest Carbon and cannot be replicated by other suppliers currently in the market.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066e85
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025005-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services


CPV Codes

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£96,000 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Mar 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
18 Mar 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
18 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2026 30 days
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NUCLEAR DECOMMISSIONING AUTHORITY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CUMBRIA
Postcode
CA24 3HU
Post Town
Carlisle
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD1 Cumbria
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD13 Cumberland
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Cumberland
Electoral Ward
Egremont North and St Bees
Westminster Constituency
Whitehaven and Workington

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

FOREST CARBON

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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